New York State has passed a law compelling insurers to offer cover for autism-related screenings, diagnoses and treatments, a move which insurers said was bound to increase premiums, with even the bill's sponsors acknowledging that the impact would probably be a 2% rise in rates. The State Assembly passed the bill on Monday night. It now goes to Governor David Paterson for approval. New York legislators have introduced a raft of "treatments" that they want to be covered under health insurance — including infant baby formula and the purchase of wheelchairs, while simultaneously criticizing health insurers for charging premiums that are too high. The New York bill does not have a dollar cap and an age cap for the autism cover, unlike most of the other 21 states where such protection has been passed into law.